Post #202 - For the love of Blogging and my Readers

I meant to share this a few posts ago (for #200), but I have been rather caught up in trying to finish my succession planting series from 2011 before the bulbs really get going in this earlier spring! (So far I have done the Hill, Cherry Corner and the Shade Path... only three more to go... whew.)

Firstly, I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of my wonderfully encouraging and gifted readers from this past year!! You are scattered across the globe, but I have felt your warm wishes in Pennsylvania. I have so enjoyed the interactions that we have shared through comments and emails. It has truly been my pleasure to share a bit of our small garden "paradise" with you.

Peonies in June 2011

Wife, Mother, Gardener started a bit slowly at first, with only a handful of posts in its first year in 2010. My husband was the instigator from the beginning, and he finally assailed me a year later with pleas to beginning writing about what we were doing here in our gardening. It was his idea for me to write my first series of posts on our 2010 season in January of last year (see Part 1). Once I really got rolling in February, I have not looked back. So, I would also call this my one year garden-blog anniversary.

Blogging has become one of my major creative outlets: a place to put together both photos and the story of our garden and home-life.  So thank you to my Sweetheart for stretching me into it!

Also I want to say thank you to Donna at Gardens Eye View and Karen at Southern Meadows for mentioning me in their Versatile Bloggers lists! I so appreciate you ladies for all of your encouraging words this year, and for sharing your gifts in your wonderful blogs as well!

Here are seven things I hope to do better in my garden this year:

• Keep more seeds from damping off
• Grow more sun plants in our new sunnier backyard (more info on that to come... but so sad)
• Walk in the garden more and enjoy it!!
• Read a garden photography book and use it
• Think about stretching my plantings further in color and form
• Add more ornamental grasses!
• Have a garden party in early summer and add another in fall (more fun, yes?)

As another nonconformist, I am also going to bend the rules a bit. Here are some posts by other blogs that I have enjoy recently that you might also like to take a look at:

• Pam's English Cottage Garden - New USDA Hardiness Zone Map
• Brenda at Limestone and Maples - Who Cares what the Neighbors Think! - a piece on embracing our creativity and not letting our anxiety of what people think hold us back.
• Naomi at Out of My Shed - The no prune (well almost) method of tree training!
• Rosie at Leaves 'n Blooms - Why no Busy Lizzies this year? -  interesting post on mildew on impatients in the UK
• Christina at My Hesperides Garden - Snow in Italy!
• Bertie at What Ho Hidcote! - Snow - beautiful scenes from last year of this historic garden
• Donna's White Garden post
• Karen's Hellebores

I hope you all have some chocolate to enjoy today! I am going to try whipping some up for us this evening... perhaps you will want to try it too? Molten Chocolate Cake with Raspberries... yum. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Shade Path Garden ~ April through December 2011

April 2011

May 2011

June 2011

July 2011

August 2011

September 2011

October 2011

November 2011

December 2011

For a thorough post on the planting and maintenance of this year-round border, see Shade Path Garden Succession Planting 2011.

Cherry Corner Succession Planting 2011

October 2011

This garden is located in our front yard at the corner of our property, just feet from a stop sign. It contains a weeping cherry tree (Prunus) that we planted our first spring here in 2008. Hence the name, Cherry Corner garden (see it on our map). The succession planting begins here in March with Anemone blanda 'Blue Shades' and continues through November with Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and the cherry tree in brilliant yellow.

As with most of my plantings, my individuals plants are not especially rare or expensive, but it is their combination and progression that enhances their place in the garden. I would love to someday invest in the $100 lady slippers and the $50 peonies, but my wallet does not stretch that far at present. I think there is joy in knowing that we can take what we are given as gardeners and make it beautiful, even if it is a tiny town lot with common plants.

April

Anemone blanda 'Blue Shades' with loosestrife shoots (Lysimachia punctata 'Alexander'). This is a great time to divide the latter, though it can be done successfully at anytime. April 25th.

The same plants in waves. This anemone is a great plant in succession because it covers the ground in early spring with foliage, blooms for weeks, and dies back as the other foliage matures and covers it up.

Narcissus 'Pink Charm' adding their apricot tones to the blues in this garden, which repeats the color from the Spirea in the Front Walk garden just down the path.

Narcissus 'Pink Charm' with Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica). April 26th.

Weeping cherry tree blossom at the end of April (the 28th).

First flowers at Gilmore Gardens

Crocus tommasianus on February 5th, 2012

A few pretties for the start of the year. They are about a month earlier than last year.

more on their way...

Galanthus elwesii

Galanthus elwesii with an upturned head? We shall see.